Hello! This story is about the Generals and it
is related to the Manga, taking place not long after the
Dark Moon Kingdom.
This story is rated PG (Nothing serious, so don't worry) ^_~
Oh yeah, PLEASE email me and tell me what you think of my story.
Critiques, compliments, suggestions, questions, anything would be fine.
MY EMAIL INBOX! No it's fading away! Emails, it needs emails! (^_~)
Usual disclaimers: Sailor Moon and all its characters and likeliness
belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha/Toei. English translation is made
possible by DiC.
My email address: ml_eclipse@hotmail.com
= thoughts
[ ] = author's note
All right, on with the show!
============================================================================
GEMSTONE'S OATH
========================= By Cosmos ==================================
Chapter 3: Love thy Enemy
Part 2: Waiting for You
"Sshh, listen," Zoisite suddenly interrupts Jadeite.
"Listen to what?" Jadeite asks with a raised eyebrow. "I can't hear
anything."
"Well, if you would just shut your trap then maybe you can hear the music."
Jadeite frowns with annoyance and keeps quiet. Straining his ears hard he
tries to catch the sounds that Zoisite told him he just heard. Humph,
he thinks, I can't hear anything. Maybe lamebrain here is just going wacko
on me. Giving an irritated glance over to Zoisite he sees his friend
with eyes closed listening intently to sounds, it appears, only he can
hear. A small sad smile seems to dance at the corner of his mouth.
"I still can't hear anything," Jadeite announces to his bewitched friend.
Zoisite does not reply.
Curious, he asks, "What is it that you *think* you are hearing?"
"Music," Zoisite whispers in reverie, "The gentle sounds of a lovely lyre
being played."
"Lyre?" Now this is interesting, Jadeite mused, he actually imagines an
instrument to go along with his invisible musical notes. "Ummm…Zoisite…I
think you've gazed at the moon a little bit too long tonight. Maybe you
should get some rest."
Zoisite's eyes snap open as he exclaims, "What the hell are you talking
about? Can't you hear the music of the lyre?"
His friend shakes his head. He frowns in confusion. Strange, he
thinks, I swear the sound is quite loud, loud enough for him to hear it,
and yet he doesn't. Am I the only one to hear it?
"Hey, Zois, you okay there?"
Zoisite brakes from his thought and quickly replies, "Y-yeah. Yeah I'm
fine. Are you *sure* you didn't listen hard enough, Jadeite?"
"Yeah! If I listen any harder, my eardrums will soon be drumming," he
responds, then quickly adds, "Hey, where are you going?" when he sees his
friend making for the door.
"I'm going to find out who is playing that music," Zoisite replies without
glancing back.
"He's lost it," Jadeite says to himself once Zoisite disappears around a
corner.
"Hey, I heard that!" His friend's yell races back to him.
The music continues to lure Zoisite down the dark hallway. The pale
moonlight filters through grand windows draped with fine silk curtains
creating faint beams of light across the hall like cascades of water down
a ravine. Like the capes of lost souls, the silver draperies dance in the
vast hallway as if it too can hear the gentle voice of that mysterious
lyre. Through the darkness lit only by the pale light of the silvery moon,
he catches the colors of blue and gold swirls on the dark marble floor.
Slowly, he drifts down the hall allowing the soft humming of the music to
direct him towards its hidden player. Suddenly, barely escaping his
attention, the music changes from soft luring notes to mournful sounds that
reflect the forlorn surroundings of a place that he now finds himself
trapped in. "W-where am I?" he manages to whisper before his mind wholly
succumbs to the unknown force now invading it.
[flashback]
She was waiting for him. He knew that somehow, but he wasn't sure. Once
he departed for the Moon Kingdom, a strange feeling kept nagging at the
back of his mind. When his feet touched the hard cold surface of the
glaciers that covered the northern region of the Moon, he instinctively
knew that she was waiting for him.
His dark blue eyes scanned the vast white sheets of the glacier,
looking…searching…for her. She was out there. She was waiting. His brows
knitted in frustration as he wondered, Where can she be? How could she
possibly hide from me in a barren place like this? Indeed, the vast land
consisted only of a blanket of pure white with bluish crystals of ice
rising here and there. No bushes. No forests. Not even grass could grow
in this incredible desert of ice and snow. A thin mist drifted into the
land covering the open area in a sheet of ashen-white, obscuring a shadow
that stood only a short distance away from him, just barely beyond his
piercing gaze.
Calm. Serene. It was incredible how placid she was from her mind…to her
soul…to her heart. Control. It was the very objective she had been
striving for in the past twenty-four hours. Finally, enduring the pain in
her heart and through the tears that blinded her, she has finally reached
this objective…control. Now, standing before him, she feels at one with
the cold desolate environment…an environment that gave birth to her…that
harbored her true strength, her true power…the power of a merciless
winter…the power of ice.
She could feel the true strength of her nature fuse with the dismal world
surrounding her. The coldness of the frozen land seeped into her soul and
captured her heart. A sense of sudden serenity overwhelmed her as clear as
the crystallized water beneath her feet. She waved a hand aside commanding
the mist to retreat. It did, revealing to him a large battalion on par
with his. His emotionless gaze took in the silver armors of the Moon
soldiers with their crystal swords blazing before them, but what held his
attention was the prominent figure standing defiantly in front of him.
Her ice blue uniform was a sharp contrast to the silver background. It was
unmistakable who she was…a Sailor Guardian of the Moon. His eyes widened
in surprise at her stealth, at how well she managed to sneak up on him
without him knowing. He smiled in mock amusement. He had underestimated
this young soldier in blue.
She focused her eyes, a reflection of the ruthless environment around
her-and of one that has been betrayed-on the one whom have betrayed her.
Unflinching, he returned her coldness with his own hard challenging blue
storms. The tension rose in the atmosphere cracking and snapping under
the strenuous weight of the hatred between these two. How ironic that a
battle between two frozen hearts should take place in a land imprisoned in
ice.
No words were spoken. No mocking laughter was exchanged. They were both
here for one reason and one reason only…the spilled blood of the other.
[end flashback]
"STOP!" He screams as tears flow down his pale cheeks in an unrelenting
river of sorrow mingled with guilt. "Please stop," he pleads to the dark
hall, "I can't take this. I just can't…I don't want to see anymore. I
know I've done horrible things, but it wasn't my fault. So *stop*
torturing me!" An indescribable feeling of sorrow invades his soul,
tearing it to pieces. He clutches at his chest as if attempting to rip
out his heart in order to stop the emotional turmoil that is raging within
it.
During his struggle against his soul, the faint sound of the mysterious
music drifts into his ears once again. The gentle caresses of the sound
soothe his delirious mind and stop his rain of tears. His heartbeat slows
to a rhythmic pulsing in sync with the faint notes of the lyre being played
by unseen fingers. Strangely he feels a sense of determination to seek out
the player of this instrument…the creator of this music that has so
entranced him.
He struggles to his feet and begins to stumble off into the darkness
allowing his heart to lead him toward the source of this sound. Like the
lovely voices of the Sirens, this music lures him to an unseen destiny and
an unknown fate. Whether it be death or life, he does not care. To
everyone around him, he is already dead, both in body and in spirit.
There is nothing else for him to fear, or is there? His mind struggles to
find the answer to that. Is there something out there waiting for him…or
someone? There is that strange force, his mind told him, and the past.
But the past can't harm him…can it?
He sees a soft yellow light of a desk lamp cross his path as it floated out
through a small opening in a beautiful oak doorway. The music is from this
room. He hesitates for a moment as his mind screams to him of the possible
danger of this investigation, but he simply shakes his head and steps
through. He has to find this person.
The beautiful room opened before him like a book. A luxurious bed of pale
blue satin and silk stood at one corner close to a grand balcony on the
other side of the room. Thin silk curtains cascade down from the bed's
roof-like fixtures to cover the object like a beautiful tent woven with
crystal beads of water. Through the opening facing him, he notices that
the gentle undulations of the fabric on the bed create the illusion of soft
waves on the surface of a beautiful lake. The faint light of a crystal
lamp nearby along with the blueness of the room provides a strange
peacefulness to the overall atmosphere that greatly effects him. He has
never before felt so at ease and so relax.
However, his attention is quickly caught again by the music that floats to
him ever louder from the balcony on the other side. He slowly drifts
toward the large frame draped with beige colored curtains leading to the
balcony. The curtains float into the room like gentle arms motioning him
to follow. As he strides toward the music, he chances to glance through
another room to his right. To his amazement, he sees shelves upon shelves
filled to the brink with books of various kinds, sizes, and ages. The bold
color of the red oak shelves enhances the soft brown leather bindings of
the books giving the room a most elegant appearance. At the center of this
place stood four cinnamon colored velvet seats surrounding a marvelous
mahogany table upon which a handcrafted vase of a strange crystal blue is
placed. The beautiful bright color of the iris flower within the vase
stands sharply against the darker color of the wood dominated room.
A soft sigh suddenly invades his mind quickly jerking his attention back to
the balcony. He steps through the curtained doorway and his eyes befell
unto a sight that makes him intake a sharp breath. There, before him on
that milky white balcony sits a lovely woman dressed in an azure satin
nightgown with a v-shaped neck and two thin straps on her shoulders,
allowing the pale moonlight to fall across her bare shoulders highlighting
her velvety skin. The dark sky with its multitudes of stars surrounds her
on all sides completing the ethereal picture that now enthralls him.
Her eyes are closed as her delicate fingers move effortlessly through the
silver strings of a small lyre she holds in her hand. So this is the
player of this lyre, he thinks. The strange material of which this
peculiar lyre is constructed appears to glow with a mysterious icy blue
light casting a bluish shadow onto her lovely face. Under the light, she
looks so sad. His heart becomes restless as he gazes at her beautiful
face with its lush lips and long thick lashes gracing her rosy cheeks.
Completely unaware of his spirit watching her, she continues to play her
sad song. The song slowly weaves its enchantment around his heart
covering it with warmth he has never before known. So familiar, he
thinks. I…have heard…this song before,…but where?
As if to answer his question, the silent force awakens from within him
again. Its cold fingers begin to probe his mind and he feels himself drift
back to the unknown once more. No, he thinks, no! Not now! I do not
want to leave her. I want to stay here and continue listening to this
lovely song she plays. Please, let me stay just a little longer. Hold
back the pain just a little longer. But the force is unsympathetic. It
does not know the emotional turmoil that it causes in these men by doing
what it has been ordered to do. Thus, his plea goes unheard. I wonder
what she calls this song she plays, his mind thinks as the vision of the
lovely woman slowly blurs from view and is replaced by another woman, much
younger, who was also playing a lyre, but the song she plays is far
different.
[flashback]
Suddenly he notices a swirl of ice and snow forming between her fingers.
He narrowed his eyes and his body grew tense preparing for her attack, but
to his surprise she did not. Instead, a small delicate object of ice
crystals forms before his eyes. Her subtle fingers wrapped itself around
the object, which he realized was a lyre made entirely of ice and snow.
He lifted his gaze up to her emotionless face raising an eyebrow in
questioning.
A mocking smile plays on her small pink lips, while her cold eyes never
left his face. Her fingers slowly plucked the white strings of her lyre,
playing a forlorn sound that seemed to reverberate throughout the desolate
land like a lost echo in the expanse of space. With each note, her lyre
begins to glow in increased power and upon the last sound a large
unexpected blast of ice was released hitting him dead center, sending him
a few feet from his former position. Her attack signaled the beginning of
the battle.
He grabbed his chest in pain as his dark eyes pierced her frigid form a
distance before him. Without a sound, like the shadow he has become, he
raced toward her releasing a great blast of dark energy at her. She
easily dodged it and created a fog to hide herself but he could only be
fooled once. While she looked for him in the fog, she suddenly felt cold
fingers wrap themselves around her delicate throat with great strength and
ferocity. He yanked her up to his eye level leaving her feet dangling
several inches above the Earth's surface. Pain ripped through her as her
air was quickly cut off. Her hands instinctively came up to clutch his in
her desperate attempt to free herself, but he was too strong.
He gazed into her eyes expecting the hatred he saw in them only moments
before, but to his amazement the hatred was completely gone. Instead he
found himself staring into the most beautiful bright azure eyes he has
ever seen. Soft glistening tears formed at the corner of her eyes adding
to its sad beauty. He was taken aback by this sudden change in her. His
grip around her neck loosened and she took in a sharp breath to ease her
burning lungs.
Quietly, almost like a whisper from the icy wind, he demanded, "What is the
name of that strange song you've just played?"
Unexpected, she smiled at him with all the warmth that she hid deep within
her heart. His eyes widen in surprise. "It is called," she whispered back
to him, her voice as sweet and as sad as the music she played. Her
forehead begins to glow with a strange blue light. He looked up in
amazement when he saw the sigil of Mercury shining brightly on her
forehead. "It is called…" her voice captured his attention once more,
"Mercury's Rhapsody." And that was the last thing he heard before she
released her full power sending them both into the eternal sleep of death.
[end flashback]
"Mercury's Rhapsody," her soft voice echoes in his mind. "What is the
name of the strange song you've just played? It is called…Mercury's
Rhapsody." The scene between them keeps replaying in his mind, "What
is the name of the strange song you've just played? It is
called…Mercury's Rhapsody."
"STOP!" he screams into the darkness. Grabbing his head, he cries,
"Please stop! I-I can't take this anymore! I would rather face Beryl
then endure this kind of agony. Who is so cruel as to torture me like
this? Of all the pains that could be brought unto me, the truth from my
past creates the deepest wounds…wounds that will never heal." Through a
vision blurred both with tears and renewed passion, he looks at her still
playing on the small lyre the very same song she played over two thousand
years ago, but the tone of this song is not cold and hateful, only sad and
forlorn.
Deep within his mind, he hears a familiar exchange of words:
"Promise me that you will return," she asked
"I promise," he whispered.
He realizes as he watches her delicate fingers move over the thin silver
strings, as tears escape her closed eyes that she is still waiting for
him…after all this time. She is still waiting.
"Great," he mumbles under his breath, "I've been ditched." Giving a tired
sigh, he stands up and strolls toward the door. "I might as well take a
walk instead of sitting around here waiting for my friends, one of which
thought he heard music being played." Clicking his tongue and shaking his
head he whispers, "Pitiful."
The silent hall greets him like a long lost friend. He turns and begins
to stroll down another hall much more different than the one his friends
have taken previously. His light turquoise gaze barely makes out the
faint images on the walls hidden in shadows. He drifts down the hall
slowly, his gaze never leaving the beautiful portraits of a time long
forgotten.
Pegasus and holy grails. Stone swords and black roses. Such eerie yet
unbelievably beautiful pictures depict a time that he does not know…cannot
remember. He is enraptured by the strange tales that these images weave
around him. Suddenly, he sees soldiers with silver uniforms brandishing
blazing crystal swords locked in an eternal conflict on an ancient
battlefield. He stops in this track. There is something familiar about
this picture. A strange force seems to tug at his mind demanding him to
remember, but he cannot. His turquoise eyes skim over the large portrait
and come to rest on a particular soldier standing in front of the silver
army. Her long raven colored hair swirls around her in an invisible wind
while her raging violet eyes gaze at the battle before her. He is
awestruck by her beautiful features that are both delicate and strong.
Her fiery red outfit appears like a blazing inferno finely etched against
the backdrop of silver and black. Whoever this artist was, he thinks,
has truly painted a magnificent masterpiece when he painted her.
He seemed to have caught the very light and life of her spirited soul and
trapped it into this incredible mural. He stands there for a long time
entrance by the image of this Goddess of War.
Abruptly, he doubles over in pain. His mind is reeling with images and
his ears are pounding with roars and cries of the past. His brows furrow
in confusion as perspiration cloaks his pale face. "W-what is happening?"
he manages to whisper before his mind goes numb and he is sent back to a
battle that raged over two milleniums ago.
[flashback]
It was an ambush. How the world did those Moonlings know that I'll be
attacking them here? his mind growled with frustration. He looked around
him. His Mediterranean blue eyes saw fire. Bright burning infernos
surrounded his army on all sides, trapping them within a wall of fire like
rats.
"Damnit!" he growled, "They will not defeat me that easily." He closed his
dark eyes and began to concentrate his powers into his hands. A large ball
of blazing dark energy gradually appears increasing with incredible
intensity. He quickly opened his eyes and released his attack. The
swiftness of his power being released created a whirlwind of dark air that
killed the flames within minutes.
As the smoke cleared, he could see through the slight haze a tall figure
barring his path. Her violet eyes burned with incredible hatred like two
small beacons in the dark, while small red flames danced around her
clenched fists. She gave him a mocking laughter and spoke in a low icy
tone, "Did you enjoy the fireworks?"
He growled a reply at her as he released a blast of energy straight for
her. She easily dodged it and disappeared behind the tall dark trunks of
the trees. He quickly left his fighting men to finish the battle while he
went out to seek a dancing flame that he was determined to put out.
[end flashback]
"Huh!" he gasps as he gradually awakens from the enchantment. His eyes
quickly glance back at the figure and immediately he recognizes her as the
same girl he just saw in his brief glimpse of the past. "Sailor Mars," he
whispers.
"Yeah?" a voice drifts to him, "who's there?"
The voice jerks his attention to the white oak door at the end of the
mysterious hall. W-what? he thinks.
Slowly, he drifts toward the door but is stopped abruptly by a lovely face
appearing through the opened frame. He is met with spirited violet eyes
that shines like the stars. He takes in a sharp breath, surprised by her
sudden appearance.
"Yeah?" she calls again, "Hey, who the hell called for me?"
No one replies. "Venus, was that you?"
"What?" another voice sounds far down the hall.
"Did you just call my name?" she yells with annoyance.
"Why would I call you? I just talked to you."
"That's strange," she mumbles under her breath, "I thought I heard someone
call me."
"Hey Mars, you okay?" her friend asks her.
"Yeah, yeah!" she replies quickly.
"You want to talk to me about something?" Venus' voice drifts through the
darkness toward her.
"No!" she exclaims, "Never mind, just go back to bed."
"Alright, but don't stay up too late okay Mars? Goodnight then."
"Goodnight!" and she retreats back into her room. He follows her.
W-where did she go? he suddenly asks himself when he noticed that she is
not in the room. He glances around and finds another door leading to
another room, which he assumed must be her bedroom.
A magnificent sight meets his bewildered gaze. The dancing light of the
burning flames within a grand crystal fireplace creates a strange, but
cozy atmosphere in this lovely room. He notices a velvet vermilion colored
sofa and loveseat placed around the burning fire place with a small red oak
coffee table between. A splendid vase made from an unknown crystal stood
at the center of the oak table with the beautiful blossoms of snow-white
Casablancas spilling over its round mouth. Another table with short
sturdy legs made of dark blue marble and a top made of mahogany stood at
the far end of the room close to a balcony. His observant eyes catch the
smooth surface of a package of tan colored paper with a beautiful silver
pen placed diagonally across its flat surface. He can barely make out
small letters and symbols written across the surface of the paper.
Curious about the writing, he quietly drifts over to the low table and
kneels down to look. To his surprise it is a poem written in lovely
calligraphy by her very own hands:
Yes, I will be thy priest, and build a fane
In some untrodden region of my mind,
Where branched thoughts, new growth with pleasant pain,
Far, far around shall those dark-cluster'd trees
Fledge the wild-ridged mountains steep by steep;
And there by zephyrs [winds], streams, and birds, and bees,
The moss-lain Dryads [sprites] shall be lull'd to sleep;
And in the midst of this wide quietness
A rosy sanctuary will I dress
With the wreath'd trellis of a working brain,
With buds, and bells, and stars without a name,
Who breeding flowers, will never breed the same:
And there shall be for thee all soft delight
That shadowy thought can win,
A bright torch, and a casement ope at night,
To let the warm Love in! *
Beautiful, he thinks, I never knew that Sailor Mars could write poetry.
What an amazing… but his thoughts are quickly interrupted when he hears
her bedroom door open.
Mars steps out dressed in her priestess outfit with graceful satin pants
and a white silk shirt. Her hair drifts around her slender form like a
dark cloak. She strolls silently toward a small rug she laid earlier in
front of the sacred fire. She closes her eyes and simply sat there in
deep meditation. Her dark hair surrounds her like the petals of her
flowers. The soft warm light of the fire illuminates her beautiful
features with its thick dark lashes and lush lips. The gentle night breeze
floats in through the balcony and plays with the dark locks in front of
her closed eyes.
She is so beautiful, he thinks. Then his eyes darken with feelings of
guilt. He knows, from what he was told, that he had fought against her in
Tokyo under Beryl's spell. He wishes that he could have gotten to know her
better instead of fighting against her. He wishes that they were not
enemies. But you are not enemies now, his mind whispers to him. He
shakes his head dejectedly, No, he thinks, it is too late now. He is
nothing but a mere shadow to her. It is too late.
He continues to gaze at her longingly. His hands ache to caress her soft
skin and silky long hair. "Sailor Mars," he whispers to her, "I wish we
can be together."
Suddenly her eyes flew open. She turns around and stares directly into
his. He notices the shock, and fear, reflecting in her lively violet
eyes. "W-who's there?" she cries out to the shadows.
What? he cries, she can hear me? B-but that is…impossible! I am only a
ghost, how the…
"Who is there?" she questions the air around her, "Who are you?"
He does not reply, confusion and hesitation rising into his eyes.
"I know I heard someone say something," she mumbles to herself as she
pulls out a scroll of paper. "Whoever is out there show yourself or
else?" she warns, her violet eyes flashing dangerously. "And," she adds,
"if you're a ghost, then be gone!" and pulls a strip of the paper from the
scroll powering up for her attack.
"No wait!" he cries out in shock.
"Who *is* this?" she whispers in a suspicious tone, "Who just said that?"
"Mars," he whispers to her again.
"Who's there?" her voice is now high and frightened.
"Please, calm down," he soothes her, "I won't hurt you, not that I can
anyway."
"Who is this 'I'?"
"Umm…you won't believe me but….uhh well…" he hesitates.
"Spill it!" she orders, "I don't have all night!"
He smiles at her. Her spirit is so much like his own, fiery and
mischievous.
"I am…," he hesitates briefly, "…Jadeite."
Her eyes widen in shock. Her mouth falls open in disbelief.
"Y-you…you are…you're Jadeite?"
"Yup!" he confirms.
"Then how come," she asks, "I can't see you?"
"I'm a ghost," he says matter-of-factly, "Apparently you've killed me
about a thousand years ago, or don't you remember?"
"How?" she stutters, "Why are you here now? When did you return?" Turning
to face the fire, she cries out, her voice full of confusion and slight
distress, "What the *hell* is going on here?" Whether she directed the
question to him or the fire, he is not sure.
"Didn't Endymion tell you?" he asks.
"Tell me what?"
"Apparently not," he says, "I…all the generals have been reincarnated as
gemstones, where we continue to guard our Prince, now King."
"So you're saying you've be born as gemstones?"
"If you please, I'd prefer the word reincarnation, not born," he says a
little irritated, "I did not start out as a stone you know."
"Uh huh," she says. "So what were you…"
But a cry of pain interrupts her in mid-sentence. "Jadeite?!" she cries,
"what's happening? Are you hurt? Come on, say something!" Her voice rings
with distress and apparent concern for her former enemy.
Why does she care? he wonders, Was I not her enemy? Why does she
sound so concerned for me?
"Aaaahhh!" he screams out in pain as his mind grows numb and his heart
grows colder.
"Oh God! Jadeite!" Mars yells, waving her hands wildly in the air in the
direction of the sound, hoping that she may be able to feel him. "Hang on
Jadeite! I'll get help!" She quickly scrambles to her feet, but before she
could even stand she hears him cry out.
"NO!" he cries, "Mars *please* don't leave me alone! Please…," he pleads.
"I don't want to go through this alone, not again."
"Through what?! What is happening to you?"
"Just…" he cries in desperation, "stay with me! Please."
"I-I-I'll stay," tears of pain rises in her violet eyes.
He looks at her with great confusion as he struggles against the dark force
that is striving to take over his mind and soul. She is actually staying
her with me, he thinks. She is actually shedding tears for me…but why?
"Jadeite please hang on," she pleads to him, "whatever it is, fight it! I
know you can do it! Just stay with me, don't leave me…please…"
"W-w-why do you…care?" he manages to ask her.
"B-because," she whispers, her throat tight with the pain in her raging
heart, "B-because I…I love you."
His eyes widen in surprise. What?! Yet before he has the chance to ask
any further strange images flood his mind and he looses his grasp on the
real world and enters a nightmare he wishes would end.
[flashback]
His raging turquoise eyes searched desperately for the red outline of her
uniform. She is somewhere around her, he thinks, I know she is
hiding behind one of these damn trees! Suddenly, almost answering his
thoughts, a bright ball of fire flashes toward him. He jumps out of the
way narrowly escaping its burning path. His eyes quickly dart toward the
source and he saw her bright uniform swiftly retreating into the depth of
the forest.
"You can run," he yelled at her, "but you can't hide! I'll find you
wherever you are little firefly!" And he added in a whisper, "And when I
do, I will extinguish your pesky little flame!"
"Who's hiding numbskull!"
"Wha-"
He feels a sharp stab of pain shoot up through his sides as he whirls
around to grab a handful of dark silky hair. He pulled her face close to
his as his grip tightened painfully. His raging sea-green eyes stared
deep into her challenging violet gems of fire. Without letting her go, he
gives a quick glance down at his side and found that half of his lower body
was burnt by her surprise attack.
He gave her a cynical laughter and whispered in her ears, "Nice try firefly,
but now you will die!"
"W-well, aren't we a little poet here," she managed to whisper in a mocking
tone between her clenched teeth. "If I die, then I will take you with me."
"Really? I don't think so. You have used all of your strength in our
little game of cat and mouse."
"Not all of my strength," she whispered in a deadly tone. She grabbed both
of his shoulders in a tight grip and pulled his face even closer to hers
as the symbol of Mars appeared on her forehead. "You of all people should
know that…" and to his surprise, she kissed him passionately. Her lips
felt warm…so very warm…extremely warm…in fact it was burning! Suddenly he
felt her power enveloped them both in a blazing ball of fire. All he could
see was the inferno that now surrounded them both. All he could feel was
the intense heat burning his flesh…And all he could sense was the
overwhelming peace sheltering his dark soul by her tender kiss. But as
soon as her powers were released, it was gone…and gone with it was her
love. Now he could only sense the utter darkness of despair and loneliness
brought on by death.
[end flashback]
As sudden as the images came, it is now gone; but the emotional turmoil it
created in its wake deep within his empty soul still remains…and it shall
always remain with him, he knows. Not only was his past revealed to him
in that minute moment in time, but his heart was shown to him as well.
Now, as clear as the crystal tears in her violet eyes, he knows what he
must do…what he should do…what he needs to do. He must fulfill the promise
he had made to her more than two thousand years ago. He must seek a way to
return to her and hold her as his heart desires him to do.
"But how?" he whispers to himself.
"Jadeite?" her small voice close beside him makes him suddenly aware of her
presence. She is still here just as he had asked; she did not left him
alone.
"Jadeite?" she calls his name again, her eyes looking wildly at the vacant
air in front of her. "Jadeite, are you all right? Please answer me! Say
something!"
"I-I'm fine," he whispers. He lets his tired gaze fall upon her lovely
tear stained face. The small violet flames deep within her eyes reminds
him of her strong fiery nature, a unique trait he had fallen in love with
so long ago. He realizes as he gaze into her concern face that it was not
her beauty he loved; it was not her powers or her status as a Moon Guardian
that intrigued him. It never was, nor is it now. He loves her for her
kind nature, her undying loyalty and trust. He loves her for her fiery
spirit, a beautiful flame that will never die. And it is that flame that
warms his now cold and empty soul.
"Jadeite what is going on here?" she asks the empty air. A tone of command
rings in her voice. "Jadeite?" she asks, slightly irritated by his
silence, and with hidden concern for his well being. "Will you tell me
what is going on? You can trust me. I…I know we…we're not friends," and
here she gives a slight pause, "but you can trust me, Jadeite. Let me
help you."
Her slight pause did not go unnoticed. He realizes that she may probably
think that he is still the evil commander of Beryl, not the Jadeite she
once knew and loved. This realization quickly dampens his spirit and
cracks his newly mended heart. No, he thinks, things can never be what
it once was. What was lost is now gone forever.
He stood up and begins to drift toward the door. "It is nothing," he says
in an emotionless voice, his back towards her.
"But…"
"No Sailor Mars, there is nothing…nothing you can do. Goodbye…," he
quickly interrupts her and once outside he adds, "…my love."
"JAADDEEEIIITTTE!" he could hear her scream his name as she stumbles to
her feet, scrambling for the door. He could not stand her heart-wrenching
cry anymore; he quickly drifts away back toward his room. It is better
this way, he thinks as tears rain down his face. Though he may have
forgotten how to love, surprisingly, he never forgot how to cry. And cry
he does as the world around him crumbles to dust. I must let her go,
he thinks she must go on with her life. I-I-I can't be with her…I'M
DEAD, for heaven's sake! I'm nothing to her but a mere shadow, a voice
without a body…without a beating heart. But…but I love her so much…too
much to let her be hurt again. No…it is better this way, better that she
forgets me.
Yet he does not know that she will never forget him, or the promise he had
given to her so long ago. And another power will also not let him forget
that promise, either. A promise made is a promise kept.
============================================
[* That little poem of Mars is called Ode to Psyche written by
a famous poet named John Keats.
Thanks to all those who have emailed to me about this story! I reallly
appreciate your wonderful comments! Keep the emails comin'! ^_^
Chapter 4 is coming!]
1999, Cosmos.
is related to the Manga, taking place not long after the
Dark Moon Kingdom.
This story is rated PG (Nothing serious, so don't worry) ^_~
Oh yeah, PLEASE email me and tell me what you think of my story.
Critiques, compliments, suggestions, questions, anything would be fine.
MY EMAIL INBOX! No it's fading away! Emails, it needs emails! (^_~)
Usual disclaimers: Sailor Moon and all its characters and likeliness
belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha/Toei. English translation is made
possible by DiC.
My email address: ml_eclipse@hotmail.com
= thoughts
[ ] = author's note
All right, on with the show!
============================================================================
GEMSTONE'S OATH
========================= By Cosmos ==================================
Chapter 3: Love thy Enemy
Part 2: Waiting for You
"Sshh, listen," Zoisite suddenly interrupts Jadeite.
"Listen to what?" Jadeite asks with a raised eyebrow. "I can't hear
anything."
"Well, if you would just shut your trap then maybe you can hear the music."
Jadeite frowns with annoyance and keeps quiet. Straining his ears hard he
tries to catch the sounds that Zoisite told him he just heard. Humph,
he thinks, I can't hear anything. Maybe lamebrain here is just going wacko
on me. Giving an irritated glance over to Zoisite he sees his friend
with eyes closed listening intently to sounds, it appears, only he can
hear. A small sad smile seems to dance at the corner of his mouth.
"I still can't hear anything," Jadeite announces to his bewitched friend.
Zoisite does not reply.
Curious, he asks, "What is it that you *think* you are hearing?"
"Music," Zoisite whispers in reverie, "The gentle sounds of a lovely lyre
being played."
"Lyre?" Now this is interesting, Jadeite mused, he actually imagines an
instrument to go along with his invisible musical notes. "Ummm…Zoisite…I
think you've gazed at the moon a little bit too long tonight. Maybe you
should get some rest."
Zoisite's eyes snap open as he exclaims, "What the hell are you talking
about? Can't you hear the music of the lyre?"
His friend shakes his head. He frowns in confusion. Strange, he
thinks, I swear the sound is quite loud, loud enough for him to hear it,
and yet he doesn't. Am I the only one to hear it?
"Hey, Zois, you okay there?"
Zoisite brakes from his thought and quickly replies, "Y-yeah. Yeah I'm
fine. Are you *sure* you didn't listen hard enough, Jadeite?"
"Yeah! If I listen any harder, my eardrums will soon be drumming," he
responds, then quickly adds, "Hey, where are you going?" when he sees his
friend making for the door.
"I'm going to find out who is playing that music," Zoisite replies without
glancing back.
"He's lost it," Jadeite says to himself once Zoisite disappears around a
corner.
"Hey, I heard that!" His friend's yell races back to him.
The music continues to lure Zoisite down the dark hallway. The pale
moonlight filters through grand windows draped with fine silk curtains
creating faint beams of light across the hall like cascades of water down
a ravine. Like the capes of lost souls, the silver draperies dance in the
vast hallway as if it too can hear the gentle voice of that mysterious
lyre. Through the darkness lit only by the pale light of the silvery moon,
he catches the colors of blue and gold swirls on the dark marble floor.
Slowly, he drifts down the hall allowing the soft humming of the music to
direct him towards its hidden player. Suddenly, barely escaping his
attention, the music changes from soft luring notes to mournful sounds that
reflect the forlorn surroundings of a place that he now finds himself
trapped in. "W-where am I?" he manages to whisper before his mind wholly
succumbs to the unknown force now invading it.
[flashback]
She was waiting for him. He knew that somehow, but he wasn't sure. Once
he departed for the Moon Kingdom, a strange feeling kept nagging at the
back of his mind. When his feet touched the hard cold surface of the
glaciers that covered the northern region of the Moon, he instinctively
knew that she was waiting for him.
His dark blue eyes scanned the vast white sheets of the glacier,
looking…searching…for her. She was out there. She was waiting. His brows
knitted in frustration as he wondered, Where can she be? How could she
possibly hide from me in a barren place like this? Indeed, the vast land
consisted only of a blanket of pure white with bluish crystals of ice
rising here and there. No bushes. No forests. Not even grass could grow
in this incredible desert of ice and snow. A thin mist drifted into the
land covering the open area in a sheet of ashen-white, obscuring a shadow
that stood only a short distance away from him, just barely beyond his
piercing gaze.
Calm. Serene. It was incredible how placid she was from her mind…to her
soul…to her heart. Control. It was the very objective she had been
striving for in the past twenty-four hours. Finally, enduring the pain in
her heart and through the tears that blinded her, she has finally reached
this objective…control. Now, standing before him, she feels at one with
the cold desolate environment…an environment that gave birth to her…that
harbored her true strength, her true power…the power of a merciless
winter…the power of ice.
She could feel the true strength of her nature fuse with the dismal world
surrounding her. The coldness of the frozen land seeped into her soul and
captured her heart. A sense of sudden serenity overwhelmed her as clear as
the crystallized water beneath her feet. She waved a hand aside commanding
the mist to retreat. It did, revealing to him a large battalion on par
with his. His emotionless gaze took in the silver armors of the Moon
soldiers with their crystal swords blazing before them, but what held his
attention was the prominent figure standing defiantly in front of him.
Her ice blue uniform was a sharp contrast to the silver background. It was
unmistakable who she was…a Sailor Guardian of the Moon. His eyes widened
in surprise at her stealth, at how well she managed to sneak up on him
without him knowing. He smiled in mock amusement. He had underestimated
this young soldier in blue.
She focused her eyes, a reflection of the ruthless environment around
her-and of one that has been betrayed-on the one whom have betrayed her.
Unflinching, he returned her coldness with his own hard challenging blue
storms. The tension rose in the atmosphere cracking and snapping under
the strenuous weight of the hatred between these two. How ironic that a
battle between two frozen hearts should take place in a land imprisoned in
ice.
No words were spoken. No mocking laughter was exchanged. They were both
here for one reason and one reason only…the spilled blood of the other.
[end flashback]
"STOP!" He screams as tears flow down his pale cheeks in an unrelenting
river of sorrow mingled with guilt. "Please stop," he pleads to the dark
hall, "I can't take this. I just can't…I don't want to see anymore. I
know I've done horrible things, but it wasn't my fault. So *stop*
torturing me!" An indescribable feeling of sorrow invades his soul,
tearing it to pieces. He clutches at his chest as if attempting to rip
out his heart in order to stop the emotional turmoil that is raging within
it.
During his struggle against his soul, the faint sound of the mysterious
music drifts into his ears once again. The gentle caresses of the sound
soothe his delirious mind and stop his rain of tears. His heartbeat slows
to a rhythmic pulsing in sync with the faint notes of the lyre being played
by unseen fingers. Strangely he feels a sense of determination to seek out
the player of this instrument…the creator of this music that has so
entranced him.
He struggles to his feet and begins to stumble off into the darkness
allowing his heart to lead him toward the source of this sound. Like the
lovely voices of the Sirens, this music lures him to an unseen destiny and
an unknown fate. Whether it be death or life, he does not care. To
everyone around him, he is already dead, both in body and in spirit.
There is nothing else for him to fear, or is there? His mind struggles to
find the answer to that. Is there something out there waiting for him…or
someone? There is that strange force, his mind told him, and the past.
But the past can't harm him…can it?
He sees a soft yellow light of a desk lamp cross his path as it floated out
through a small opening in a beautiful oak doorway. The music is from this
room. He hesitates for a moment as his mind screams to him of the possible
danger of this investigation, but he simply shakes his head and steps
through. He has to find this person.
The beautiful room opened before him like a book. A luxurious bed of pale
blue satin and silk stood at one corner close to a grand balcony on the
other side of the room. Thin silk curtains cascade down from the bed's
roof-like fixtures to cover the object like a beautiful tent woven with
crystal beads of water. Through the opening facing him, he notices that
the gentle undulations of the fabric on the bed create the illusion of soft
waves on the surface of a beautiful lake. The faint light of a crystal
lamp nearby along with the blueness of the room provides a strange
peacefulness to the overall atmosphere that greatly effects him. He has
never before felt so at ease and so relax.
However, his attention is quickly caught again by the music that floats to
him ever louder from the balcony on the other side. He slowly drifts
toward the large frame draped with beige colored curtains leading to the
balcony. The curtains float into the room like gentle arms motioning him
to follow. As he strides toward the music, he chances to glance through
another room to his right. To his amazement, he sees shelves upon shelves
filled to the brink with books of various kinds, sizes, and ages. The bold
color of the red oak shelves enhances the soft brown leather bindings of
the books giving the room a most elegant appearance. At the center of this
place stood four cinnamon colored velvet seats surrounding a marvelous
mahogany table upon which a handcrafted vase of a strange crystal blue is
placed. The beautiful bright color of the iris flower within the vase
stands sharply against the darker color of the wood dominated room.
A soft sigh suddenly invades his mind quickly jerking his attention back to
the balcony. He steps through the curtained doorway and his eyes befell
unto a sight that makes him intake a sharp breath. There, before him on
that milky white balcony sits a lovely woman dressed in an azure satin
nightgown with a v-shaped neck and two thin straps on her shoulders,
allowing the pale moonlight to fall across her bare shoulders highlighting
her velvety skin. The dark sky with its multitudes of stars surrounds her
on all sides completing the ethereal picture that now enthralls him.
Her eyes are closed as her delicate fingers move effortlessly through the
silver strings of a small lyre she holds in her hand. So this is the
player of this lyre, he thinks. The strange material of which this
peculiar lyre is constructed appears to glow with a mysterious icy blue
light casting a bluish shadow onto her lovely face. Under the light, she
looks so sad. His heart becomes restless as he gazes at her beautiful
face with its lush lips and long thick lashes gracing her rosy cheeks.
Completely unaware of his spirit watching her, she continues to play her
sad song. The song slowly weaves its enchantment around his heart
covering it with warmth he has never before known. So familiar, he
thinks. I…have heard…this song before,…but where?
As if to answer his question, the silent force awakens from within him
again. Its cold fingers begin to probe his mind and he feels himself drift
back to the unknown once more. No, he thinks, no! Not now! I do not
want to leave her. I want to stay here and continue listening to this
lovely song she plays. Please, let me stay just a little longer. Hold
back the pain just a little longer. But the force is unsympathetic. It
does not know the emotional turmoil that it causes in these men by doing
what it has been ordered to do. Thus, his plea goes unheard. I wonder
what she calls this song she plays, his mind thinks as the vision of the
lovely woman slowly blurs from view and is replaced by another woman, much
younger, who was also playing a lyre, but the song she plays is far
different.
[flashback]
Suddenly he notices a swirl of ice and snow forming between her fingers.
He narrowed his eyes and his body grew tense preparing for her attack, but
to his surprise she did not. Instead, a small delicate object of ice
crystals forms before his eyes. Her subtle fingers wrapped itself around
the object, which he realized was a lyre made entirely of ice and snow.
He lifted his gaze up to her emotionless face raising an eyebrow in
questioning.
A mocking smile plays on her small pink lips, while her cold eyes never
left his face. Her fingers slowly plucked the white strings of her lyre,
playing a forlorn sound that seemed to reverberate throughout the desolate
land like a lost echo in the expanse of space. With each note, her lyre
begins to glow in increased power and upon the last sound a large
unexpected blast of ice was released hitting him dead center, sending him
a few feet from his former position. Her attack signaled the beginning of
the battle.
He grabbed his chest in pain as his dark eyes pierced her frigid form a
distance before him. Without a sound, like the shadow he has become, he
raced toward her releasing a great blast of dark energy at her. She
easily dodged it and created a fog to hide herself but he could only be
fooled once. While she looked for him in the fog, she suddenly felt cold
fingers wrap themselves around her delicate throat with great strength and
ferocity. He yanked her up to his eye level leaving her feet dangling
several inches above the Earth's surface. Pain ripped through her as her
air was quickly cut off. Her hands instinctively came up to clutch his in
her desperate attempt to free herself, but he was too strong.
He gazed into her eyes expecting the hatred he saw in them only moments
before, but to his amazement the hatred was completely gone. Instead he
found himself staring into the most beautiful bright azure eyes he has
ever seen. Soft glistening tears formed at the corner of her eyes adding
to its sad beauty. He was taken aback by this sudden change in her. His
grip around her neck loosened and she took in a sharp breath to ease her
burning lungs.
Quietly, almost like a whisper from the icy wind, he demanded, "What is the
name of that strange song you've just played?"
Unexpected, she smiled at him with all the warmth that she hid deep within
her heart. His eyes widen in surprise. "It is called," she whispered back
to him, her voice as sweet and as sad as the music she played. Her
forehead begins to glow with a strange blue light. He looked up in
amazement when he saw the sigil of Mercury shining brightly on her
forehead. "It is called…" her voice captured his attention once more,
"Mercury's Rhapsody." And that was the last thing he heard before she
released her full power sending them both into the eternal sleep of death.
[end flashback]
"Mercury's Rhapsody," her soft voice echoes in his mind. "What is the
name of the strange song you've just played? It is called…Mercury's
Rhapsody." The scene between them keeps replaying in his mind, "What
is the name of the strange song you've just played? It is
called…Mercury's Rhapsody."
"STOP!" he screams into the darkness. Grabbing his head, he cries,
"Please stop! I-I can't take this anymore! I would rather face Beryl
then endure this kind of agony. Who is so cruel as to torture me like
this? Of all the pains that could be brought unto me, the truth from my
past creates the deepest wounds…wounds that will never heal." Through a
vision blurred both with tears and renewed passion, he looks at her still
playing on the small lyre the very same song she played over two thousand
years ago, but the tone of this song is not cold and hateful, only sad and
forlorn.
Deep within his mind, he hears a familiar exchange of words:
"Promise me that you will return," she asked
"I promise," he whispered.
He realizes as he watches her delicate fingers move over the thin silver
strings, as tears escape her closed eyes that she is still waiting for
him…after all this time. She is still waiting.
"Great," he mumbles under his breath, "I've been ditched." Giving a tired
sigh, he stands up and strolls toward the door. "I might as well take a
walk instead of sitting around here waiting for my friends, one of which
thought he heard music being played." Clicking his tongue and shaking his
head he whispers, "Pitiful."
The silent hall greets him like a long lost friend. He turns and begins
to stroll down another hall much more different than the one his friends
have taken previously. His light turquoise gaze barely makes out the
faint images on the walls hidden in shadows. He drifts down the hall
slowly, his gaze never leaving the beautiful portraits of a time long
forgotten.
Pegasus and holy grails. Stone swords and black roses. Such eerie yet
unbelievably beautiful pictures depict a time that he does not know…cannot
remember. He is enraptured by the strange tales that these images weave
around him. Suddenly, he sees soldiers with silver uniforms brandishing
blazing crystal swords locked in an eternal conflict on an ancient
battlefield. He stops in this track. There is something familiar about
this picture. A strange force seems to tug at his mind demanding him to
remember, but he cannot. His turquoise eyes skim over the large portrait
and come to rest on a particular soldier standing in front of the silver
army. Her long raven colored hair swirls around her in an invisible wind
while her raging violet eyes gaze at the battle before her. He is
awestruck by her beautiful features that are both delicate and strong.
Her fiery red outfit appears like a blazing inferno finely etched against
the backdrop of silver and black. Whoever this artist was, he thinks,
has truly painted a magnificent masterpiece when he painted her.
He seemed to have caught the very light and life of her spirited soul and
trapped it into this incredible mural. He stands there for a long time
entrance by the image of this Goddess of War.
Abruptly, he doubles over in pain. His mind is reeling with images and
his ears are pounding with roars and cries of the past. His brows furrow
in confusion as perspiration cloaks his pale face. "W-what is happening?"
he manages to whisper before his mind goes numb and he is sent back to a
battle that raged over two milleniums ago.
[flashback]
It was an ambush. How the world did those Moonlings know that I'll be
attacking them here? his mind growled with frustration. He looked around
him. His Mediterranean blue eyes saw fire. Bright burning infernos
surrounded his army on all sides, trapping them within a wall of fire like
rats.
"Damnit!" he growled, "They will not defeat me that easily." He closed his
dark eyes and began to concentrate his powers into his hands. A large ball
of blazing dark energy gradually appears increasing with incredible
intensity. He quickly opened his eyes and released his attack. The
swiftness of his power being released created a whirlwind of dark air that
killed the flames within minutes.
As the smoke cleared, he could see through the slight haze a tall figure
barring his path. Her violet eyes burned with incredible hatred like two
small beacons in the dark, while small red flames danced around her
clenched fists. She gave him a mocking laughter and spoke in a low icy
tone, "Did you enjoy the fireworks?"
He growled a reply at her as he released a blast of energy straight for
her. She easily dodged it and disappeared behind the tall dark trunks of
the trees. He quickly left his fighting men to finish the battle while he
went out to seek a dancing flame that he was determined to put out.
[end flashback]
"Huh!" he gasps as he gradually awakens from the enchantment. His eyes
quickly glance back at the figure and immediately he recognizes her as the
same girl he just saw in his brief glimpse of the past. "Sailor Mars," he
whispers.
"Yeah?" a voice drifts to him, "who's there?"
The voice jerks his attention to the white oak door at the end of the
mysterious hall. W-what? he thinks.
Slowly, he drifts toward the door but is stopped abruptly by a lovely face
appearing through the opened frame. He is met with spirited violet eyes
that shines like the stars. He takes in a sharp breath, surprised by her
sudden appearance.
"Yeah?" she calls again, "Hey, who the hell called for me?"
No one replies. "Venus, was that you?"
"What?" another voice sounds far down the hall.
"Did you just call my name?" she yells with annoyance.
"Why would I call you? I just talked to you."
"That's strange," she mumbles under her breath, "I thought I heard someone
call me."
"Hey Mars, you okay?" her friend asks her.
"Yeah, yeah!" she replies quickly.
"You want to talk to me about something?" Venus' voice drifts through the
darkness toward her.
"No!" she exclaims, "Never mind, just go back to bed."
"Alright, but don't stay up too late okay Mars? Goodnight then."
"Goodnight!" and she retreats back into her room. He follows her.
W-where did she go? he suddenly asks himself when he noticed that she is
not in the room. He glances around and finds another door leading to
another room, which he assumed must be her bedroom.
A magnificent sight meets his bewildered gaze. The dancing light of the
burning flames within a grand crystal fireplace creates a strange, but
cozy atmosphere in this lovely room. He notices a velvet vermilion colored
sofa and loveseat placed around the burning fire place with a small red oak
coffee table between. A splendid vase made from an unknown crystal stood
at the center of the oak table with the beautiful blossoms of snow-white
Casablancas spilling over its round mouth. Another table with short
sturdy legs made of dark blue marble and a top made of mahogany stood at
the far end of the room close to a balcony. His observant eyes catch the
smooth surface of a package of tan colored paper with a beautiful silver
pen placed diagonally across its flat surface. He can barely make out
small letters and symbols written across the surface of the paper.
Curious about the writing, he quietly drifts over to the low table and
kneels down to look. To his surprise it is a poem written in lovely
calligraphy by her very own hands:
Yes, I will be thy priest, and build a fane
In some untrodden region of my mind,
Where branched thoughts, new growth with pleasant pain,
Far, far around shall those dark-cluster'd trees
Fledge the wild-ridged mountains steep by steep;
And there by zephyrs [winds], streams, and birds, and bees,
The moss-lain Dryads [sprites] shall be lull'd to sleep;
And in the midst of this wide quietness
A rosy sanctuary will I dress
With the wreath'd trellis of a working brain,
With buds, and bells, and stars without a name,
Who breeding flowers, will never breed the same:
And there shall be for thee all soft delight
That shadowy thought can win,
A bright torch, and a casement ope at night,
To let the warm Love in! *
Beautiful, he thinks, I never knew that Sailor Mars could write poetry.
What an amazing… but his thoughts are quickly interrupted when he hears
her bedroom door open.
Mars steps out dressed in her priestess outfit with graceful satin pants
and a white silk shirt. Her hair drifts around her slender form like a
dark cloak. She strolls silently toward a small rug she laid earlier in
front of the sacred fire. She closes her eyes and simply sat there in
deep meditation. Her dark hair surrounds her like the petals of her
flowers. The soft warm light of the fire illuminates her beautiful
features with its thick dark lashes and lush lips. The gentle night breeze
floats in through the balcony and plays with the dark locks in front of
her closed eyes.
She is so beautiful, he thinks. Then his eyes darken with feelings of
guilt. He knows, from what he was told, that he had fought against her in
Tokyo under Beryl's spell. He wishes that he could have gotten to know her
better instead of fighting against her. He wishes that they were not
enemies. But you are not enemies now, his mind whispers to him. He
shakes his head dejectedly, No, he thinks, it is too late now. He is
nothing but a mere shadow to her. It is too late.
He continues to gaze at her longingly. His hands ache to caress her soft
skin and silky long hair. "Sailor Mars," he whispers to her, "I wish we
can be together."
Suddenly her eyes flew open. She turns around and stares directly into
his. He notices the shock, and fear, reflecting in her lively violet
eyes. "W-who's there?" she cries out to the shadows.
What? he cries, she can hear me? B-but that is…impossible! I am only a
ghost, how the…
"Who is there?" she questions the air around her, "Who are you?"
He does not reply, confusion and hesitation rising into his eyes.
"I know I heard someone say something," she mumbles to herself as she
pulls out a scroll of paper. "Whoever is out there show yourself or
else?" she warns, her violet eyes flashing dangerously. "And," she adds,
"if you're a ghost, then be gone!" and pulls a strip of the paper from the
scroll powering up for her attack.
"No wait!" he cries out in shock.
"Who *is* this?" she whispers in a suspicious tone, "Who just said that?"
"Mars," he whispers to her again.
"Who's there?" her voice is now high and frightened.
"Please, calm down," he soothes her, "I won't hurt you, not that I can
anyway."
"Who is this 'I'?"
"Umm…you won't believe me but….uhh well…" he hesitates.
"Spill it!" she orders, "I don't have all night!"
He smiles at her. Her spirit is so much like his own, fiery and
mischievous.
"I am…," he hesitates briefly, "…Jadeite."
Her eyes widen in shock. Her mouth falls open in disbelief.
"Y-you…you are…you're Jadeite?"
"Yup!" he confirms.
"Then how come," she asks, "I can't see you?"
"I'm a ghost," he says matter-of-factly, "Apparently you've killed me
about a thousand years ago, or don't you remember?"
"How?" she stutters, "Why are you here now? When did you return?" Turning
to face the fire, she cries out, her voice full of confusion and slight
distress, "What the *hell* is going on here?" Whether she directed the
question to him or the fire, he is not sure.
"Didn't Endymion tell you?" he asks.
"Tell me what?"
"Apparently not," he says, "I…all the generals have been reincarnated as
gemstones, where we continue to guard our Prince, now King."
"So you're saying you've be born as gemstones?"
"If you please, I'd prefer the word reincarnation, not born," he says a
little irritated, "I did not start out as a stone you know."
"Uh huh," she says. "So what were you…"
But a cry of pain interrupts her in mid-sentence. "Jadeite?!" she cries,
"what's happening? Are you hurt? Come on, say something!" Her voice rings
with distress and apparent concern for her former enemy.
Why does she care? he wonders, Was I not her enemy? Why does she
sound so concerned for me?
"Aaaahhh!" he screams out in pain as his mind grows numb and his heart
grows colder.
"Oh God! Jadeite!" Mars yells, waving her hands wildly in the air in the
direction of the sound, hoping that she may be able to feel him. "Hang on
Jadeite! I'll get help!" She quickly scrambles to her feet, but before she
could even stand she hears him cry out.
"NO!" he cries, "Mars *please* don't leave me alone! Please…," he pleads.
"I don't want to go through this alone, not again."
"Through what?! What is happening to you?"
"Just…" he cries in desperation, "stay with me! Please."
"I-I-I'll stay," tears of pain rises in her violet eyes.
He looks at her with great confusion as he struggles against the dark force
that is striving to take over his mind and soul. She is actually staying
her with me, he thinks. She is actually shedding tears for me…but why?
"Jadeite please hang on," she pleads to him, "whatever it is, fight it! I
know you can do it! Just stay with me, don't leave me…please…"
"W-w-why do you…care?" he manages to ask her.
"B-because," she whispers, her throat tight with the pain in her raging
heart, "B-because I…I love you."
His eyes widen in surprise. What?! Yet before he has the chance to ask
any further strange images flood his mind and he looses his grasp on the
real world and enters a nightmare he wishes would end.
[flashback]
His raging turquoise eyes searched desperately for the red outline of her
uniform. She is somewhere around her, he thinks, I know she is
hiding behind one of these damn trees! Suddenly, almost answering his
thoughts, a bright ball of fire flashes toward him. He jumps out of the
way narrowly escaping its burning path. His eyes quickly dart toward the
source and he saw her bright uniform swiftly retreating into the depth of
the forest.
"You can run," he yelled at her, "but you can't hide! I'll find you
wherever you are little firefly!" And he added in a whisper, "And when I
do, I will extinguish your pesky little flame!"
"Who's hiding numbskull!"
"Wha-"
He feels a sharp stab of pain shoot up through his sides as he whirls
around to grab a handful of dark silky hair. He pulled her face close to
his as his grip tightened painfully. His raging sea-green eyes stared
deep into her challenging violet gems of fire. Without letting her go, he
gives a quick glance down at his side and found that half of his lower body
was burnt by her surprise attack.
He gave her a cynical laughter and whispered in her ears, "Nice try firefly,
but now you will die!"
"W-well, aren't we a little poet here," she managed to whisper in a mocking
tone between her clenched teeth. "If I die, then I will take you with me."
"Really? I don't think so. You have used all of your strength in our
little game of cat and mouse."
"Not all of my strength," she whispered in a deadly tone. She grabbed both
of his shoulders in a tight grip and pulled his face even closer to hers
as the symbol of Mars appeared on her forehead. "You of all people should
know that…" and to his surprise, she kissed him passionately. Her lips
felt warm…so very warm…extremely warm…in fact it was burning! Suddenly he
felt her power enveloped them both in a blazing ball of fire. All he could
see was the inferno that now surrounded them both. All he could feel was
the intense heat burning his flesh…And all he could sense was the
overwhelming peace sheltering his dark soul by her tender kiss. But as
soon as her powers were released, it was gone…and gone with it was her
love. Now he could only sense the utter darkness of despair and loneliness
brought on by death.
[end flashback]
As sudden as the images came, it is now gone; but the emotional turmoil it
created in its wake deep within his empty soul still remains…and it shall
always remain with him, he knows. Not only was his past revealed to him
in that minute moment in time, but his heart was shown to him as well.
Now, as clear as the crystal tears in her violet eyes, he knows what he
must do…what he should do…what he needs to do. He must fulfill the promise
he had made to her more than two thousand years ago. He must seek a way to
return to her and hold her as his heart desires him to do.
"But how?" he whispers to himself.
"Jadeite?" her small voice close beside him makes him suddenly aware of her
presence. She is still here just as he had asked; she did not left him
alone.
"Jadeite?" she calls his name again, her eyes looking wildly at the vacant
air in front of her. "Jadeite, are you all right? Please answer me! Say
something!"
"I-I'm fine," he whispers. He lets his tired gaze fall upon her lovely
tear stained face. The small violet flames deep within her eyes reminds
him of her strong fiery nature, a unique trait he had fallen in love with
so long ago. He realizes as he gaze into her concern face that it was not
her beauty he loved; it was not her powers or her status as a Moon Guardian
that intrigued him. It never was, nor is it now. He loves her for her
kind nature, her undying loyalty and trust. He loves her for her fiery
spirit, a beautiful flame that will never die. And it is that flame that
warms his now cold and empty soul.
"Jadeite what is going on here?" she asks the empty air. A tone of command
rings in her voice. "Jadeite?" she asks, slightly irritated by his
silence, and with hidden concern for his well being. "Will you tell me
what is going on? You can trust me. I…I know we…we're not friends," and
here she gives a slight pause, "but you can trust me, Jadeite. Let me
help you."
Her slight pause did not go unnoticed. He realizes that she may probably
think that he is still the evil commander of Beryl, not the Jadeite she
once knew and loved. This realization quickly dampens his spirit and
cracks his newly mended heart. No, he thinks, things can never be what
it once was. What was lost is now gone forever.
He stood up and begins to drift toward the door. "It is nothing," he says
in an emotionless voice, his back towards her.
"But…"
"No Sailor Mars, there is nothing…nothing you can do. Goodbye…," he
quickly interrupts her and once outside he adds, "…my love."
"JAADDEEEIIITTTE!" he could hear her scream his name as she stumbles to
her feet, scrambling for the door. He could not stand her heart-wrenching
cry anymore; he quickly drifts away back toward his room. It is better
this way, he thinks as tears rain down his face. Though he may have
forgotten how to love, surprisingly, he never forgot how to cry. And cry
he does as the world around him crumbles to dust. I must let her go,
he thinks she must go on with her life. I-I-I can't be with her…I'M
DEAD, for heaven's sake! I'm nothing to her but a mere shadow, a voice
without a body…without a beating heart. But…but I love her so much…too
much to let her be hurt again. No…it is better this way, better that she
forgets me.
Yet he does not know that she will never forget him, or the promise he had
given to her so long ago. And another power will also not let him forget
that promise, either. A promise made is a promise kept.
============================================
[* That little poem of Mars is called Ode to Psyche written by
a famous poet named John Keats.
Thanks to all those who have emailed to me about this story! I reallly
appreciate your wonderful comments! Keep the emails comin'! ^_^
Chapter 4 is coming!]
1999, Cosmos.